Endangered turtles recovered from Yog Nagari express at Sasaram railway station

Authorities suspect the turtles were poached from Rishikesh and were being smuggled to Kolkata for international black markets.

Railway Protection Force recovered live turtles, including some of rare variety, from a coach of Yog Nagari (Rishikesh-Howrah) Special Express (03010) at Sasaram station in Bihar.

Turtles are endangered species listed in schedule 1 of the wildlife protection act. (Sourced Photo)

Based on a tip off, a RPF team led by inspector PK Rawat recovered 48 live turtles from four bags in S7 coach of the express train, however, the smugglers succeeded in escaping. The turtles were handed over to the forest department on Wednesday, inspector Rawat said.

Divisional forest officer Rohtas Pradyumn Gaurav said two of the recovered turtles were 1.5 feet long and of rare Indian Softshell variety, while the remaining 46 were of Indian flapshell variety found in the Ganges and Indus rivers apart from other water bodies.

Authorities suspect the turtles were poached from Rishikesh and were being smuggled to Kolkata for international black markets, where the Indian Shoftshell turtles are in high demand as pets and for their meat, based on belief that it’s consumption increased sex drive and lifespan, officials said.

Turtles are endangered species listed in schedule 1 of the wildlife protection act and poaching and trafficking it invites three to seven years’ jail and forfeiture of property earned with the proceeds of such sale, the DFO said.

The seized turtles will be produced before the court before they are released in Ganga, he added.